Elise could sense that Julianna seemed less tense today, and the fact that Reed was talking about someone from the past was a good sign. Truth be told, she had been anxious the whole time, and she wondered what Reed and Julianna talked about on the flight there. She wasn’t jealous or anything, but she knew that there were probably some things Reed couldn’t open up to her about as he was always afraid of stressing her and their pup out. She had to remember that right now, aside from herself, there were only two other people in the entire world who’d had the same experiences as Reed. And it wasn’t like Cross was around to have a heart to heart talk with. In fact, according to Lara, Cross had not been around a lot at all, as the Alpha and Grant Anderson were sending him out on more missions to try and find the last artifact before the mages did.
“We’re here,” Reed said as they drove past an imposing moss-covered wall. “Look.”
Julianna whistled. “Wow.”
As the estate came into view, she held her breath. While Huntington Park was breathtaking in that perfectly manicured way, Castle Kilcraigh was rough and wild, but still beautiful, just like Scotland itself. It wasn’t as big as Huntington Park, but the stone walls, spires, and turrets evoked a fairy-tale like quality.
Though Castle Kilcraigh itself was old, it was obviously well-cared for and modernized. The road sitting across the manicured lawn was paved, and the car stopped just outside the castle. By the time they exited the SUV with their things, there was already someone waiting for them at the doorway.
“Ye must be our guests from America,” the man greeted. He was in his 40s, tall and slim, and wore a tweed suit. “I’m Gerald MacDougal, Beta of the Caelkirk Clan.”
“Thank you for welcoming us and allowing us into the territory,” Reed greeted back. “I’m Reed Wakefield, this is my wife Elise, daughter to Liam Henney, Alpha of San Francisco, and Julianna Anderson, envoy and sister to Lucas Anderson, Alpha of New York.”
“Thank you for welcoming us,” Elise greeted back.
“Nice tae meet ye all,” he said as he shook hands with Reed.
Elise offered her hand which he shook, but when he did the same with Julianna, he paused. “Do I know ye?” His eyes narrowed at her.
Julianna shrugged. “I don’t think so? Have you ever been to New York?”
“No, but it’s like … I could have sworn …” He scratched at his chin. “It’s like I’ve seen ye before.” Shaking his head, he let go of her hand. “I’m sorry my Alpha’s not here tae greet ye. He and his son had a sudden meeting in town, and he’s not sure when they’ll be back. But, don’t ye worry, we’re all ready for ye.” He nodded to the older woman walking toward them. “Mrs. Carter, she’s the housekeeper around here, will have yer things sent up tae yer rooms. Unfortunately, I’m about to pop into a conference call myself, but please feel free to look around the grounds. I’ll be out around two and we can take a tour of the castle after we have tea.”
“Excellent idea,” Reed said. “I would like to go for a walk.”
Elise slipped her arm into his. “I’ll join you. It’ll give me a chance to stretch my legs.”
“I’m pooped.” Julianna yawned and then stretched her arms over her head. “If you wouldn’t mind, I need a shower and a nap, but that tea and tour sounds great.”
“It’s all settled then,” Gerald clapped his hands together. “Julianna, ye can follow Mrs. Carter, and we can all meet here at two.”
As Gerald and Julianna and Mrs. Carter went their way, Reed tugged her toward the door.
“Is it just like you remember?” she asked in a quiet voice.
“Mostly,” he said. “It’s definitely more modern, but there’s something about it … it feels the same.”
She stopped before they reached the outside. “Reed, where are we going?”
“To the family cemetery.”
“Oh.” She placed a hand on his arm. “We don’t have to do this right this moment. How about we wait until tomorrow?”
“No, I want to do this now,” he said. “It’s the perfect timing. I don’t know what our host has planned, and I’m not sure how I’ll be able to explain why I want to schedule time to visit his dead ancestors.”
She gave him a tight smile. “All right, love, whatever you want.”
The Caelkirk clan’s family cemetery was about a thirty-minute walk, down a path that led them halfway across the castle grounds. Though Reed only relied on his memory, he didn’t have trouble finding the old chapel and a small house surrounded by a short stone wall. He explained to Elise that in his time it was a parsonage, as the clan usually had its own clergyman living on the estate. Though they seemed well-kept, both the clergy house and chapel were abandoned. He led her to the back of the chapel where he knew the family cemetery was located.
His parents’ burial was the first and only time he’d been here. In his mind, it had only been a year since their deaths. But looking at the gravestones and markers around him, it really hit him that over two hundred years had passed.
Slowly, he made his way to the back of the graveyard, to what had been, at the time, the newest headstones. While they had just been installed when he was last here, time had obviously made its mark, the stone covered in moss and the words nearly faded. His parents’ name was still clear, but the words “Beloved Mother and Father” had nearly worn off.
“I thought this would be the easy part.” He had said the words after what seemed like an eternity of them standing there. “I was here a year ago, throwing dirt on top of their coffins. But it still hits me. It hits me now, and I’m reminded that they’re gone. They’re … all gone.”
Elise’s fingers threaded into his. “I’m sorry, Reed. I’m so sorry.”
“You know,” he began. “It was my mother’s last wish to be buried in her homeland. My father wouldn’t have cared where he was buried, as long as it was with his True Mate.” The tears burned in the back of his throat, but he swallowed them down. “Grandmama fought me tooth and nail, declaring that they were the duke and duchess of Huntington, and every single duke and duchess before them was buried in the family plot at Huntington Park, and she’d be damned if my parents weren’t. It was the only time I had defied her.”
“Reed.” She leaned her head on his arm. “There’s something I just remembered. Right before we … we left, your grandmother came to talk to me.”
“She did?”
“Uh-huh. She told me … she knew about us being True Mates.”
Now that was a surprise. “What did she say?”
“She said … well, she said she regretted how things were between your mother and her. And that she wanted to be better with you and me and—”
A sob was threatening to escape his mouth, so he gathered her into his arms and pressed his lips to her. With their pup growing inside her and cradled between them, he poured every ounce of love and sadness and regret into their kiss. When he felt the wetness on his cheeks, he couldn’t tell if they were hers or his.
“I love you,” he murmured when he pulled away. He placed a hand on her belly and he felt a movement there.
Her lashes wet with tears, she looked at him. “I love you too.”
He cleared his throat and brushed his fingers across her cheeks. “You and our pup must be getting hungry. We should go back.”
They went on a more leisurely pace, enjoying the beautiful grounds of the castle, and simply content to walk in silence in each other’s company. When they reached the castle, it seemed they were just in time. Gerald and Julianna, who had changed clothes and looked refreshed, were waiting in the foyer.
“Did ye have a nice walk?” the Beta greeted.
“We did.” Elise gave Reed a knowing smile.
“Good,” Gerald declared. “We can start in the library where I have tea set up.” They followed him down a long hallway on the right, then into the last room. “Here we go.” He led them inside and gestured to a sitting area next to the fireplace where a multi-tiered cake plate was piled wit
h pastries and sandwiches, and pots of tea sat on top of candle-lit warmers. “Let’s—oh.” Gerald stopped in his tracks, looked at the fireplace and then at Julianna. “I thought I had … but how …”
Reed followed the Beta’s gaze, retracing them as he set his eyes on the mantle above the fireplace. Or rather, the painting above the mantle.
“Oh.” Elise’s jaw dropped. “Oh my.”
Looking back at them with her mismatched green and blue eyes was a portrait of Julianna, sitting on top of the mantle as if she belonged there, her dark hair flowing down her shoulders. It was unfinished, as the edges of the painting had exposed canvas, but it was obvious which painting this was. It was a beautiful portrait, really, and Rossi really captured Julianna’s personality—with her mischievous sparkling eyes and that impertinent mouth that more often than not got her in trouble with the dowager duchess.
Julianna stood there, frozen, looking up at her doppelgänger.
“Are you all right?” Elise asked.
“I’m great,” she said, seemingly snapping out of her trance. “Dandy. I should—I need—I’m—” She spun around and dashed toward the door like Satan himself was on her heels. Unfortunately, she didn’t quite make it outside as someone else was coming through the doorway at the exact moment.
“Whoa!” Julianna staggered back, but the other person managed to catch her before she tumbled over. “I—” She sucked in a breath and stood very still, her neck craning up to look at the man who was holding her.
The man stared down at her, bright green eyes growing large. “It’s you,” he said, his voice in awe. “It’s really you.”
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Dear Reader,
I hope you had as much fun reading this as I did writing it.
There was so much more I wanted to write about.
Like Reed’s thoughts and experiences about being in the modern world.
Plus, more smoking hot love scenes between Reed and Elise.
Since I couldn’t fit it all in this book, I have them in my bonus scenes!
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So, what’s next for True Mates?
Who’s the mysterious man Julianna bumped into?
And how does he know her?
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Highland Wolf
Available for pre-order! Releases October 2, 2019.
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Alicia
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